Carving a Dynasty
by thechakster
Summary: These are the memoires of Darrius Augustus Wolf, first of his dynasty and his way to power, profit and closure in life. It follows a Rogue Trader game we are having and is dramatizised for this effect.
1. Preview

I was never a man of protocol. While i was taught everything about the rules and customs of the highborn, i never had to put them into practice. But, as the Clenaser of Lrgl, i had to attend this particular ball. Everything was pompous, a glorifying ceremony, celebrating the end of a long campaign against the arch-enemy's servant Augugond the Iron Crow.

My name is Darrius Augustus Wolf, a humble Commissar-Colonel of the Imperial Guard. Orphaned at a young age, i enjoyed the good education of the Schola Progenium and was chosen to ensure, that the moral and duty of the Imperium shall not falter under my watch. I was transferred to the fortress world of Yrath, where we were cut off from the rest of the Imperium for some years. The Navy broke through the barricade of the arch-enemy and we took the fight to them, took back Yraths moon, purged Lrgl from Chaos and finally found and destroyed Augugonds stronghold. In this time, i had to take over command of the regiment i was originally attached to. We lost many good people in this campaign, one of them was Lord-General Artor, a man i admire deeply and to whose sainthood i look upon with favor.

And now, i was sitting between some nobles and entitled buffoons, who have never even seen a fight, talking about battles as if they had been there, as if they had any right to judge the actions of men who are greater than them. This was the moment, when i realized the figure who, like me, stood out of this crowd for being scarred, hardened and without any skin-enhancers. But her face was not familiar and a psychic hood was fastened into her skull. This particular model reminded me of a spider, pumping poison into its prey.

Guarded, she greeted me. I tried not to look like i noticed the seal of the Inquisition crafted into the cleavage of her dress. This had several reasons i would like to not elaborate upon. We started talking about the campaign. The battles on Lrgl and Augugonds fortress. I doubted for some time, that i would experience the next day. Fighting against chaos can lead to your own purging, i was told. After a while, i noticed that her questions went to another direction i still can't put into proper words. After an hour, we parted, but i was expecting a surprise in the future. One does not gain the attention of the Inquisition without reason.

An adept of the High Lords of Terra explained to the whole crowd, the boons and privileges, the higher echelons earned for participating in this campaign. At this point, i only wanted to go back to my men and prepare for the departure to the next warzone. Or maybe we could rebuild Yrath. My mind went to places, when i suddenly heard my name. The adept explained to the crowd, that my regiment and me would be freed from their service to the Imperial Guard. And for the first time in a long while, i froze in place. What was the meaning of this? The speaker went on, explaining, that for my exceptional services to mankind, i will be allowed to forge my own destiny as a Rogue Trader, building my own dynasty and bringing the Light of the Emperor to the lightless void.

By then, i wanted a drink.

* * *

_Cast of Characters_

Lord-Captain-Commissar Darrius Augustus Wolf, warhero and trusted servant of the Emperor

Captain Marcella „Notch" Dragan, my most trusted soldier, now acting as my First Officer

Enginseer Prime Magos Devlyn, Lord of our Enginarium

Junka, an Ork mechboy who somehow has ties to the Inquisition

"Sema", a mercenary or a pirate, i am not sure


	2. Treasure Hunt - Part One

So i had a ship now. A cruiser even. And an appointed "pet", as i like to think of it. That was the catch of my appointment as a Rogue Trader. Dragging around an ork. No matter, i will deal with him somehow in the future. I named the ship "Saint Artor" after my late friend and warhero. May the name be a shining beacon in the dark places outside the Imperium. We've set sail for the Port Maw, then through the Koronus Passage into the unknown expanse. It was a mandate by the Inquisition and one of the Armsmen gave me a good reason to follow through. Our financial disposition isn't the very best, and said Armsmen claimed to have good clues on a big treasure on a lost world called Thykrupp. Better than nothing. I gave the order to set sail.

It was no pretty world. Only low signs of settlement. One big hive, a few smaller settlements, a Space Marine Strike Cruiser in orbit. The sigils identified it as an old chapter, declared traitors. But the ship showed no signs of corruption i associated with chaos. I could have claimed it for my dynasty, maybe even repaired it. It would have made for a very intimidating flagship. Also it would have brought the ire of other Space Marine chapters to me, a thought i did not cherish. I have plenty of other things wanting to harm me.

We boarded the ship. It was dead as expected. So were the Astartes. The bridge was no better. Even through our voidsuits, we could feel the stench, that should not have been there. This is when we noticed the horrible sigil of chaos. I averted tainting my suit with vomit. The men accompanying me shirked back, even the so-cold Enginseer Prime. I knew what i had to do. The sigil was light, i epxected it to be heavy, resisting my effort to remove it. I threw it out of the broken bridge windows, out into the void. That helped morale a bit.

The dead Astartes looked like they were fighting, strangely, we could not find any attackers. The ship itself was hit by something big. Probably a lance or somesuch. Magos Devlyn accessed the Cogitator and went into conversation with what was left of the ships machine spirit. Some Chaos Warlord called Tagaretha attacked and destroyed this Strike Cruiser. Well, if he was down there, i would find him and bring him the Justice of the Emperor.

The Magos extracted something useful from the Machine Spirit. His fraternization with the Ork nearly led me to shoot him for xenophilia, but i am always reminded, that he is an ally, not a subordinate. The Ork grunted and snorted at the name of Tagaretha, looking like he would go into a bloodrage. Devlyn seemed to see my unholstered gun as pragmatic means of potential defense against the Xenos. I left him to this thought. Apparantly, the Ork knew the name somehow, but i am not sure if this was one of those "signs of acting strange" the Inquisitor talked about. Regardless, the Machine Spirit also spat out the coordinates of a base camp for the Astartes.

While we returned to the Artor, our Astropaths and Vox-officers tried contacting the Astartes to no avail. I presumed at this point that they are either dead or haven't made it to the planet. The augurs reported that the base was definitly there but seemed empty. Nevertheless, i ordered two platoons to embark with us, with the rest of the regiment on standby.

My first steps on Thykrupp were underwhelming. The troops already secured a perimeter around the base, but i felt the need to personally enter and make first contact. I still thought at this point, that the Astartes were dead, but i'd rather be safe then insult one of the Emperors sons, let alone a group of them. I was accompanied by the Magos, Captain Marcella, several soldiers and the Ork, as we made our way into the courtyard and to the HQ fab. It looked more like a junkyard than a proper base. The good news was, that we did find the Astartes. Dead, practically crucified and desecrated. Even i had to take some steps back, while my soldiers were emptying their rations into the dirt.

That's when the screams from behind us started.


	3. Treasure Hunt - Part Two

The fight was short. They charged at us like animals and like animals, we butchered them with lasgun and sword. The Ork preferred his crude axe, self-built. One of the reasons i take him with me. He could act strange, also he makes for a good bullet sponge. I do look forward to the day, where i have to explain to an inquisitor, that no knowledge in the world is worth keeping a xenos alive before a human.

Examination of the bodies showed, that they were in a dreadful condition even before the Ork removed big chunks of their flesh. Said chunks started moving on their own, so we killed them again and burned the bodies. Still, i had to execute one of my Guardsmen as he started showing signs of a sickness that spread unnaturally strong. I sent the other soldiers away to bury their comrade as our customs demand and instructed the medics to prepare against the corruptive influence of the archenemy.

Searching through the rest of the base, we found derelict vehicles. A Chimera, half-buried in a ditch, was lifted out by the Ork and he drove it with Magos Devlyn to our landing point. Nothing else of interest was to find here. I meanwhile ordered the rest of the regiment to drop from orbit and start securing the city. Augurs from low orbit showed signs of fighting and i had two objectives by now: Find what the Astartes were looking for, stop the fighting and kill every warp-damned heretic i meet on the way there.

The drop of the halo-barges washed away the clouds over the city. Which served us very good, since now the Artor could perform more accurate auguries. Sadly, identifying the fighting forces in the cities was not possible. I grabbed a few squads and we went into the city. We quickly found a proper firefight and we started encircling it. Some observations, one faction dressed exactly like i would expect it from heretics who lost their mind to one of their so-called gods. The other didn't do much better in regards to maintaining proper clothing discipline, but fought with equipment akin to a guard-regiment and used well maintained imperial sigils.

We obliterated them and forced the survivors of the Aquila-faction to drop their weapons. Curiously, their leader wore a commissars cap, but did not show the proper attitude for this. After i explained to him, who i was and why i was here, he felt to his knees, like i was a saint. I harshly reminded him, that if he wore the attire of the commissariat, than he better behave like this. His name was a serial number starting with five. So Fiver it was.

Fiver is a simpleton, a life of fighting without the proper administration of the Ecclesiarchy is my only explanation for this at the moment. He explained, that he and his troops were descendants of a guard regiment, sent after the Astartes and they were fighting the archenemy on this planet ever since. The Space Marines apparantly looked for something called Olympus, a location in the city from which no one has returned, except for some fabled "Ghost in the Stone". Here was my next objective. Finding this ghost. Reluctantly, Fiver brought two scouts who could lead me to his last known location. I dismissed him and his men, ordered them to retreat their whole force out of the city to our establishing base next to the city and receive the blessings of our ship-priests.

The scouts led us through the ruined city. We did join some fights, but it was a calm journey. They lead us to a small cavern under the rubble, secured by primitive traps. It turns out, that the ghost is a female mercenary called Sema, who associates with pirates. The sickening fear of our scouts nearly led me to shoot them. I offered the ghost a lift of this planet, in exchange for her abilities as bodyguard. She agreed and we left this dirthole.

Back at our base, we consulted with the leaders of the regiment, Fiver and Sema. We could pretty much pinpoint the enemy stronghold by way of the incoming fire but my curiosity guided me to the other zone in the city, where our troops couldn't enter. It seemed protected by automatic guns, shredding to pieces everything that made itself visible to it, even aircraft. I presumed that this was Olympus, a thought that was confirmed by Fiver and Sema. I looked over the holo-table and decided, that i would not waste time and men on conquering a worthless collection of hives. Captain Draga agreed and the Artor swung back into low orbit while our troops set up a perimeter around the enemy stronghold.

The clouds were trying to claim the sky over the hive again, as the first macrocannon shells penetrated the atmosphere. They were swept away, as buildings crumbled under the power of the our broadsides. The lancestrike erased everything that possibly survived the cannons. And still, reports reached us, that heretics tried to escape after the attack was over. They were dealt with, fast and ruthless, as they deserved.

Junka went out to the rubble, as he wanted to kill Tagaretha personally. I did not mind and provided him with handlers and a flight to the location. Meanwhile, i sent the Magos out to try to contact whatever was sitting in Olympus, trying to kill my men. I needed these guns down. In retrospective, i should've sent Captain Dragan with him, as a diplomatic liason.

I went on to change my clothes, as they were rather dusty after the lance's shockwave.


	4. Treasure Hunt - Part Three

After organizing the troops, i reviewed reports of the Ork, wandering through the streets, with half a heretic strapped to his back. Apparently, he made his way westwards, towards the "killzone", where the Magos was. Realizing what this meant, i prepared myself and my troops for a small intrusion, guarded by a mix of my soldiers and Fivers mob.

The report from the Magos was equally interesting. The guns weren't manned by... well, men. They were set to automatic and fired on everything that wasn't allied. He did manage to convince the machine spirit to recognize us as allies. When boarded our transports and made our way to the forcefield, the soldiers were still busy mopping up the remains of heretic forces in the city and then there was the business of evacuating Fivers bunch for good.

This could take a few days and in general, the hive looked like it still could be re-used as temporary housings for possible colonists. The general problem with this planet was, that there was nothing to sustain a colony for long. As far as we knew, it was a dusty wasteland, possibly a tradepost once, in ages long past. But now? It was off-course for everything and there was nothing of value as far as i knew. Still, i made a mental note to consider this world for future projects. I would have to review our knowledge of the Foundling Worlds after this.

The first thing i noticed about Olympus was, that it was a factorum. I imagined something more imposing, a cathedral, hiding a lost relic, or maybe even a temple to heretic gods. But it was a simple factorum, like we have thousands back on Yrath, churning out weapons and armor for the troops. According to Devlyn, the doors were open for us.

We investigated the building. I imagined the Emperor walking through these halls, giving workcrews specific orders. It was a humbling feeling, one i haven't felt in a long time. First examination revealed, that this building was a factory of some sort. Scrap was strewn all over the floor. The Ork arrived, while we were busy securing the factory. Thank the Emperor, he discarded the corpse of the heretic. As suspected, the heretics believed that their leader was here, but we did not find him. So they either lie, didn't know it better themselves or we did not find him yet. We did find a large elevator after a few minutes and took it to the lower level.

The elevator ride was unusually long. We suspected, that the factorum was built this way to protect against bombardment from orbit. Down, in the crust of the planet, our elevator stopped and we found ourselves in another factory hall. This hall contained parts of Leman Russ tanks. I noticed some differences to the familiar Mars-pattern hulls, it wasn't as tall and it was broader. I wouldn't use this in cities, but in the open field, it would be more easily hidden. The turret showed similar differences.

We found a small treasure in the form of a fully battle-ready tank. This was definitely going on the _Saint Artor_ and be kept until we properly utilize it. Should there be no known name for this pattern, i'll consider naming it after my family. Our way brought us into a small antechamber, lined with more scrap lying around. I started conversing with Draga about the possibilities of all this hardware, while the men were securing the general area.

That was when we noticed a pillar of scrap in the back of the room. A skeletal figure, strapped with all kinds of machines and cables, embedded in a pillar made of scrap. I had to remind my soldiers, that we have experienced worse and ordered the Magos to investigate. That was the moment, the thing awoke and started emerging from the alcove in its pillar, hissing and spitting plasma-fire. I immediately unsheathed my powersword and charged into melee with the creature, ordering my allies to destroy it.

It wasn't a formidable fighter. Relied primarily on its ranged weapons and i made guarded attacks, trying to goad it into the firelines. Me and the Ork managed to hit it, but it was protected by some energy field. Only Captain Dragan kept watch of the environment and noticed some forcefield-generators on the ceiling. She redirected some of our fire upwards and managed to take out the forcefield. Afterwards, we had an easy time to take out this abominable machine-creature.

The Magos confirmed, that it was heretek, infused by the warp. We destroyed the remains and searched through the rest of the facility. After it was secured, i ordered the reclamation of the important parts of the facility to be hauled aboard the Saint Artor. The next few days, we counted our wins. A Astarted cruiser, a fully functional tank-manufactorum, ready to be deployed, some new troops, hardened through several generations of battling the archenemy and i had myself a new bodyguard.

Not bad for our first venture into the Koronus Expanse. I had the Astropaths contact an agent of the Ministorum on Footfall and negotiated a meeting between us, so the cruiser went where it belonged. We meanwhile also organised a merchant to tug it back to footfall in the name of my dynasty. We escorted him back to Footfall, and met with our contact. My Captain informed me, that it was a very profitable venture indeed.


End file.
